Parenthood
by Ebenbild
Summary: "One day," he said. "One day I will destroy him like my father destroyed me so long ago." Lucius is sure that he will do something wrong while raising Draco. Narcissa thinks otherwise. And in the end he always believes her - until the day he could no more. Canon compliant.


_**Disclaimer**_ _: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…_

 _ **Placing:** from 1980 until way after the books_ _._

 _Challenge: 'Prompt of the day'. Prompt_ _: (_ _quote)_ For each man kills the thing he loves _. 1339_ _words_ _._ _Gryffindor_ _,_ _Hogwarts_ _._

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 _ **PARENTHOOD**_

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Lucius Malfoy was leaning against the door frame of his son's room. He was clothed in his night clothes, his hair open and unrestrained, and his silvery eyes on the sleeping child inside the crib.

"Lucius," he turned when he heard his name being spoken nearly silently. "What are you doing out here, love?"

"Did I wake you, Cissy?" He asked instead of answering her questions.

"No," she replied and her hand touched his upper arm softly. "Your absence did."

Lucius just sighed at that and then returned his gaze to the crib.

"Did you have a nightmare?" His wife asked him.

Lucius didn't replied.

"Do you think he's dreaming something nice?" He asked instead, his eyes still on the crib.

"I'm sure he is," Narcissa replied. "And now come back to bed, Lucius. It's not even four o'clock in the morning, yet."

Lucius just sighed again.

"One day," he said. "One day I will destroy him like my father destroyed me so long ago."

"Oh, dear," Narcissa sighed. "Don't think that! I'm sure you will be a wonderful father."

"My father –"

"You're not your father, dear," Narcissa interrupted him. "You won't make the same mistakes."

And Lucius believed her.

He believed her year after year.

He believed her when Draco walked for the first time.

He believed her when he found his first friend in Gregory Goyle.

"But Daddy, Greg was at fault," his little boy said. "He was the one who toppled over the statue!"

"Of course he did, Draco," Lucius replied. "I will talk to his father to make sure he's punished."

"But Daddy, it was Vince fault," his little boy said. "He was the one who kicked Greg so that he fell down the stairs!"

"Of course he did, Draco," Lucius said. "I will talk to his father to make sure he's punished."

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" His son cried. "Pansy took away my picture and now tells everybody she painted it!"

"Of course she did, Draco," Lucius said. "I will talk to her father to make sure she's punished."

And when he stood in the door frame of his son's room in the night, too plagued by nightmares, his wife would come to stand next to him and tell him he did right.

"You're good with your son," she'd say. "You're a wonderful father."

"Right now," he'd reply. "But one day… one day I will destroy him like my father destroyed me so long ago."

"You won't," she'd object.

"But my father –"

"Is not you," she'd say. " _You_ are doing great."

And he believed her. He always believed her.

He believed her year after year.

He believed her when his son started to clothe himself.

He believed her when his son started to eat by himself.

He believed her when his son started to learn to write.

"Dad! Dobby ripped my shirt today!" His little boy cried.

"I will make sure he's punished," Lucius said.

"Dad! Gregory stole my homework today!" His little boy accused. "And Miss Henry didn't believe me!"

"I will talk to Gregory's father," Lucius said. "And I will make sure that Miss Henry will be reprimanded."

"Dad! Mr. Howard hit me today!" His little boy cried.

"I will fire him and make sure that he won't ever hit any child again," Lucius said, his eyes dark with memories.

And when he stood in the door frame of his son's room in the night, too plagued by nightmares, his wife would come to stand next to him and tell him he did right.

"You're good with your son," she'd say. "You're a wonderful father."

"Right now," he'd reply. "But one day… one day I will destroy him like my father destroyed me so long ago."

"You won't," she'd object.

"But my father –"

"Is not you," she'd say. " _You_ are doing great."

And he believed her. He always believed her.

He believed her when his son went to Hogwarts for the first time.

He believed her when his son got hurt badly on the grounds.

He believed her when the Dark Lord returned.

"Father," his little boy told him when he returned for the summer. "There's a muggleborn girl in Gryffindor who always cheats so that she's better than me in class!"

"I'll take care of it," Lucius said and when arguing with the Headmaster doesn't bring any results he gives up the diary of the Dark Lord to an innocent girl.

"Father! It's the oaf's fault that I got hurt!" His little boy cried.

"I'll take care of it," Lucius replied and in the end settles on getting the creature that hurt his son beheaded.

"Father," his little boy cried. "Father, father, father!"

So Lucius tried to do everything he could to ensure his son's safety even with the Dark Lord in their house.

And when he stood in the door frame of his son's room in the night, too plagued by nightmares, his wife would come to stand next to him and tell him he did right.

"You're good with your son," she'd say. "You're a wonderful father."

"Right now," he'd reply. "But one day… one day I will destroy him like my father destroyed me so long ago."

"You won't," she'd object.

"But my father –"

"Is not you," she'd say. " _You_ are doing great."

And he believed her. He always believed her – until the day he couldn't believe her any more.

They lived through his stay in Azkaban and he believed her.

They lived through the rise of the Dark Lord.

And then there was the day every belief he had, was shattered.

"You told us you didn't recognise Potter," Lucius said to his son, and his son looked back to him in defiance.

"I did," he said. "Because it was the right thing to do. Maybe if you had done the right thing once, we wouldn't be caught up in all this!"

"Son," he said, but his son shook his head.

"No, father," he said. "I don't care what you say. Unlike you I have seen that we're on the wrong side. I will return to Hogwarts, and after the school finishes I will leave the manor. I know you won't change, but I can't live like that anymore. I'm not you, after all!"

And with a sneer, his son left him standing, deeply shaken by the words he had heard.

"Lucius?" His wife asked that night when he was leaning against the door frame of his son's empty room.

"I destroyed him," he said. "I destroyed him like my father destroyed me."

And the silence behind him told him that his wife knew that as well.

Years later his son would stand at his own son's door frame, looking at his sleeping child.

"Draco," he turned when he heard his name being spoken nearly silently. "What are you doing out here, love?"

"Did I wake you, 'Story?" He asked instead of answering her questions.

"No," she replied and her hand touched his upper arm softly. "Your absence did."

Draco just sighed at that and then returned his gaze to the crib.

"Did you have a nightmare?" His wife asked him.

Draco didn't replied.

"Do you think he's dreaming something nice?" He asked instead, his eyes still on the crib.

"I'm sure he is," Astoria replied. "And now come back to bed, Draco. It's not even four o'clock in the morning, yet."

Draco just sighed again.

"One day," he said. "One day I will destroy him like my father destroyed me so long ago."

"Oh, dear," Astoria sighed. "Don't think that! I'm sure you will be a wonderful father."

"My father –"

"You're not your father, dear," Astoria interrupted him. "You won't make the same mistakes."

And Draco believed her.

"He will destroy him, too, Cissy, dear," Lucius said while holding his sleeping grandson.

"You don't know that, Lucius, dear," Narcissa replied, but Lucius just shook his head.

He didn't believe her anymore.

He knew better now – for each man kills the thing he loves...

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 _Just a little idea_

 _Hope you liked it_

 _Ebenbild_


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